"Chronicles of Terror" testimony database - Instytut Pileckiego

Chronicles of Terror, a novel project organized and administered by the Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor, combines academic research, historical popularization and the broadly defined culture of remembrance. Our mission is to create the largest ON-LINE collection of civilian depositions relating to the period of the Second World War.

The on-line testimony database created for the purposes of the project provides access to the Second World War accounts of Polish citizens, who suffered immense hardship at the hands of the German and Soviet totalitarian regimes. These depositions reflect the personal experiences of thousands of Polish victims of totalitarian crimes, and also of their families and loved ones.

The majority of the accounts available on our portal are witness depositions made by Polish nationals who following the War testified before the Main Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland. On 17 September 2017, we commenced the regular publication of testimonies relating to Soviet crimes, which were submitted by soldiers from General Anders’ Army and civilians who escaped the Soviet Union. On 27 September 2018 we published a large number of accounts of Polish citizens who aided Jews during the Second World War. On 12 April 2019, we released testimonies regarding the Katyn massacre. Chronicles of Terror serves to further the knowledge of the double occupation of Poland and to preserve the memory of the victims of Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism.